The Protector
by lunastars
Summary: "From the corner of her eye, Carol could see the smile on his face. The honesty in his face was undeniable. If anything Daryl was her protector. The one person she could count on to save her. Of course he meant more to her than that. There was this unspoken, undefined thing between them." - one-shot, set in season 4.


**A/N: **_So I was on the 4theloveofcaryl tumblr and saw a picture. It was just so cute and made me smile so I decided to do a one-shot/drabble thing inspired by it._

_The picture can be found here: _4theloveofcaryl . tumblr image / 62337852282 _– just take out the spaces!_

_Seen as the picture is from season 4, this is set in season 4. So a possibl_e _**spoiler alert**__  
_

* * *

Carol stared out at the fields. The Walker count was getting bigger and bigger as the days went by. The prison was overrun for sure. With the Woodbury residents here they were drowning. They had a plan of which they were working through, but even after a few months the plan wasn't complete. The other blocks were being cleared and links between their current block and the new ones were being set up. It wasn't ready enough yet to move the Woodbury folk through though. Between that and planning runs and future jobs, they were running thin.

The only sense of normality was the Walkers. Carol laughed at that. Even though there was more of them now it was still normal. They were the one thing that didn't really change. They moaned, they groaned and they feebly tried to get through the fence. What had the world come to that Carol would come out in the cold just to see a bunch of undead creatures shuffling around?

There was a sound behind her but she knew exactly who it was. Daryl had gotten into a habit of making a sound when he came up behind her, so not to spook her. When he appeared beside her, she took a chance to look at him. He wore his usual leather jacket, with a nice new looking black shirt underneath. That was one thing they managed to do, get clothes and some hygiene products. They'd luckily ran into a well-stocked shop while looking for food and water.

"Somethin' wrong?" he questioned.

She stared back out at the Walkers. "No, nothing."

"You come out here too much," he commented.

Carol smiled at that. She did, any excuse and she was out here. "It's the only peace and quiet I get."

A smirk formed on Daryl's lips. "Yeah, guess ya right."

"Do you even have time to be checking on me?"

"I have a spare minute." She nodded her head in response, looking firmly at the Walkers. "Carol, talk to me."

Her hand came up, she fiddled with the front of her shirt. Part of her was happy that it was Daryl, out of everyone her relationship with Daryl was probably the strongest and had progressed the furthest, but that made it even harder. The second a negative emotion spanned her face, Daryl put his arm loosely around her shoulders, his eyes never leaving her face.

"This is the strongest I've ever been," she told him. "I was so weak before all of this. I must have been to stay with a man like Ed, especially with a child. I used to defend him, even back in our old Atlanta camp. Now I'm stronger, I feel stronger. I've had to rely on people, you more than most, but I've been able to handle myself most of the time. Death has always been a fear, of course but I was always prepared. Now I'm seriously afraid again. There's more of us and more of them, we're _still_ out numbered. How long can we keep this up?"

"Hey, don't," Daryl warned her. "None of that. There's nothin' to worry about. We'll do just fine, always do. Plus, who's gonna cook my dinner if you die?"

Carol laughed, more so when she saw the faint smile and the sparkle in his eye. "Yeah, I guess I'd better stay alive."

Her face dropped some of its humour as she watched one particular Walker as it gnawed at the fence. Daryl, watched her, the smile still on his face.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. I ain't goin' nowhere without knowing you're safe. If we ever get separated I won't give up till I find ya. I promise."

From the corner of her eye, Carol could see the smile on his face. The honesty in his face was undeniable. If anything Daryl was her protector. The one person she could count on to save her. Of course he meant more to her than that. There was this unspoken, undefined thing between them. Thoughtfully she watched the scene before her. Daryl watched her, never taking his eyes away as he watched what he had said sink in. The peaceful and thoughtful look on her face made him feel better. The protector and the protected, although sometimes Daryl couldn't work out who was who.

* * *

_R&R_


End file.
